Bird people, a question...

[Beccy]

We have a Senegal parrot. We have had her two years, and I know that they sometimes need to have their beaks trimmed by a vet.

How do you know when it is too long or needs attention. She is not having any difficulty with it, eating or anything, but I am wondering how to tell if it has grown too much.

Do all of them require trimming, or just some that grow faster than others? And are there things that are good to help keep them worn down naturally?

Sorry for all the questions, but she is the first parrot we have had, so there is still a lot for us to learn.

 

[Whitestar]

Many parrots need their beaks trimmed, it is hard to tell you without seeing your parrot. Many keep them trimmed by chewing. but sometimes they still overgrow. A vet that specialized in birds can easily trim them, usually using a dremel tool, doing nails & perhaps wings at the same time. I wouldnt recommend anyone that does not know how to do it to try it on their own, you can trim them too short, cut their tounges, or injure them if they struggle. We charged $12.00 to do it at the clinic I worked at, even on big macaws, many times during the beak trim we would also find health problems in the bird, so I would suggest a yearly check up & trim..

 

[Shari]

I would recommend what Whitestar said.

Just have wee Bourkes but I make sure they have toys and treats where they have to use their beaks. This helps keep them trimmed.

 

[Beccy]

Thanks, I will try later today to get a photo of her face so you can see the length, and I will post it. I would never attempt something like that, or allow anyone but a vet to do it. From what I understand they have to anesthetize some birds to get this accomplished?

I would recommend what Whitestar said.

Just have wee Bourkes but I make sure they have toys and treats where they have to use their beaks. This helps keep them trimmed.

Shari what colour Bourkes do you have? I would love to have some someday! We have friends who have pink and blue.

 

[Shari]

I have a normal Male.... he is the most sweet people friendly little bird. Call him BlueBerry...or Wee Man.

And two pink Females....these were not hand feed, so are not tame.

One is Raspberry AKA buzzy saw....because that is what she will do to you if you catch her to trim nails and such. Good thing I have thick leather gloves.

And Rubarb (spell?)....she is not as bad and will calm down.

The girls are in their cage and the male in his. Do not want babies right now.

I might pair up Rubarb and Blue berry in a couple of years...when I have time to hand raise the babies.

Blueberry is allowed out...most every day. The girls are not allowed out but they do have a big flight cage.

I have a neat link to a web page of Bourke colors...it is wild all the colors you can breed for.

You can see mine here.

http://hometown.aol.com/autumnhaus/Bourkes.html

 

[Beccy]

They are lovely Shari, and that is the neatest flight cage I have seen. I have a flight cage but it is bars with the plastic base. How is the acrylic one ventilated, does it have screen on the top?

 

[Shari]

Thanks!

It has a small space below the top al the way around, small space where the trays go in and air holes in the back.

Sure helps keep the house a little cleaner longer and I can see my birds better.

Most places that deal in arcylic can make you a cage like this.

 

[Beccy]

Must look into that, thanks Shari!

I just took this of Jade. Would appreciate knowing if her beak is too long? Thanks.

 

[Shari]

Beccy Jade is very pretty.

: :bgrin

As for the beak being too long...kind'a looks like it. But in saying that...I have never delt with that breed of parrot...so I really do not know.

 

[Beccy]

Beccy Jade is very pretty.

: :bgrin

Beauty is only skin deep, she is EVIL!! :new_shocked:

I bought her for myself, I have always wanted a parrot, and while she was in the shop she was a sweetheart! My husband who was less than keen on a parrot, but knew how much I had always wanted one, agreed, and guess who the foul fowl adores? :no:

She absolutely sucks right up to him (he says it's because he has neat things to play with, like glasses and a beard and moustache!) and draws blood on anyone else who touches her. The kids call her Birdzilla :lol:

As for the beak being too long...kind'a looks like it. But in saying that...I have never delt with that breed of parrot...so I really do not know.

Thanks, I wasn't sure, but perhaps it is time for a visit to the vet for a checkup anyway

 

[runamuk]

Must look into that, thanks Shari!

I just took this of Jade. Would appreciate knowing if her beak is too long? Thanks.

Senegals have a slightly longer beak than some other birds......that beak looks great....at the very most I would only clip the sharp tip (if you brought that one to me for grooming

: )....a few good pumice type toys are all you need

nice bird.

 

[Beccy]

We are afraid to do it ourselves so would take her to the vet, but if her beak is only slightly too long, will some hard toys wear it down enough? One of her perches is one of those rough cement ones, and she does wipe the sides of her beak on it, but all the toys she plays with are things like wood and acrylic...

 

[runamuk]

We are afraid to do it ourselves so would take her to the vet, but if her beak is only slightly too long, will some hard toys wear it down enough? One of her perches is one of those rough cement ones, and she does wipe the sides of her beak on it, but all the toys she plays with are things like wood and acrylic...

Yep I would just get her a rough toy and maybe a pumice that you can clip or twist onto the side of the cage. Or if you are up for it :bgrin buy some emery boards and try to get her/him to play tug with you, that can work really well...but it is messy when they finally finish killing the evil emery board :bgrin :bgrin :bgrin

 

[Shari]

Oh no...another Buzzsaw mccraw.....

Silly bird.

I love this place for getting my indoor pets good quality stuff for a good price. They do have mineral blocks and pumice stone chew thingys. All kinds of stuff that will keep them busy.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/Shop.cfm?N=2003

My Fjord mare really loves my son....and my son really doesn't understand why she does. Rather funny how pets decided they like someone more.

 

[Beccy]

Thanks Shari, I have bookmarked the site. Love all the little Christmas toys they have for birds!

And no there doesn't seem to be any explanation sometimes as to why a creature bonds with a particular person more than another, but in Jade's case, it is partially my fault for not doing my homework before choosing a breed. I have since been told that Senegals tend to bond with one person, and that a female often bonds with a man, and a male with a woman.

Anyone know of a good small to medium sized parrot that is a good choice for a family?

We did get a hand raised Cinnamon whiteface cockatiel last Christmas, and she is a hoot! :bgrin

Her name is Taboo. When I said we needed a name for her, Morgan (one of my twins) said "Taboo" without missing a beat. I asked her why and she said "because after Jade the subject of any more birds in this house is Taboo."!! :lol: She did have to admit after that though, that Taboo is not at all nasty.

Jade is not the nicest bird personality, but she is part of our family anyway. If the kids misbehave, we threaten to leave her to them in our wills! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Shari]

If you want a little smaller bird.. I would highly recommend a hand feed Bourke. Hand feed ones are just loves!

:

 

[Beccy]

I love Bourkes and would like to have some one day, but I am thinking something like a Goffin cockatoo, or that size. The larger cockatoos and Macaws I adore, but do not want something so large.

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

Well I came in late for this one but I LOVE sharing my Kiki so I am jumping in! I have a 10yr old female eclectus, her beak has always been a good length but recently she chipped the tip on something so when I took her in for her wing/nail trim, they also dremmelled the tip of her beak! I love where I take her because the vet uses the rounded dremmel tool to sand down her nails instead of a clipper and then a file, and you can snad in a circular motion until you see the nub of the nerve instead of accidentally clipping it! They use the same tool for her beak and they say the vibration from the dremmel actually calms the bird because it "feels good".

Here's her beautiful self!

 

[Beccy]

Well I came in late for this one but I LOVE sharing my Kiki so I am jumping in! I have a 10yr old female eclectus, her beak has always been a good length but recently she chipped the tip on something so when I took her in for her wing/nail trim, they also dremmelled the tip of her beak! I love where I take her because the vet uses the rounded dremmel tool to sand down her nails instead of a clipper and then a file, and you can snad in a circular motion until you see the nub of the nerve instead of accidentally clipping it! They use the same tool for her beak and they say the vibration from the dremmel actually calms the bird because it "feels good".

Here's her beautiful self!

WOW that is some GORGEOUS bird!! I could be mistaken, but there was a little tiny pet shop (Trudy's Pet Stop) in Deep River, Ontario in the late 80's, and they were very much into parrots. They went to a bird trade show somewhere and came home with a bird that was one of the first two brought into Canada, and I think an Eclectus was what it was. If so this would only be the second time I have seen one. Absolutely beautiful, how are they temperament wise with a family?

 

[tagalong]

*happy sigh*

Oh - I have always dreamed of a female Eclectus... a friend has a male Grand Eclectus and I used to be his babysitter ... Major was a fun guy. He knew a few tricks and loved to go for car rides. And wolf whistle at girls - which could be embarrassing when said girls turned around and saw this female sitting in her car at the stop light... and could not see the Green Menace - who would have instantly climbed lower in his travel cage and be out of sight...

Ruby - the only female eclectus I have had contact with - was VERY single minded... devoted to her owner - and hated anyone else.

But my first choice - if I was in a situation where I could have a bird again - would be to get another galah (rose-breasted cockatoo) like my dear Dusty. Dusty was a love - a cuddler, funny, sweet... when I bought him privately they thought he was 12... my friend with Major (and many other birds) thought he looked "older" somehow - just a feeling he had... Dusty died in my lap on Christmas Eve many years ago... he had had a stroke that messed his legs up... he was having trouble climbing... but he still loved to lay on his back and get stroked and scratched. We figured he was elderly when I got him... and thus succumbed to old age 8 years later...

I will try and find a pic of him

: - but here is a generic galah...